The Content & The Packaging (Your BRAND Elements)

Today is LONG with opportunity.

Thanks to the eight years in advertising working with brands such as Nike and Starbucks and another year freelancing at Nike and though I began my business as a branding coach and know the value of clarity of message, of your authentic ability to deliver that consistency of message and of the connection and engagement it all brings, I am the first to say work on YOU before ever worrying about a fancy website…

I call working on YOU, working on the “content”(the actual content you share in newsletters, trainings, paid or otherwise, is also key, but let’s start with the content of you, first).

You are the content, the material we need to work with in order to make the actual business’ing work.

In order to be the woman who creates a massive difference for others (the real thing that grows your business-turned-movement or soulful empire) and who, as a result, others are constantly sharing and/or talking about, you must be the woman who leads from the inside-out…

In other words, the woman who expresses her emotional intelligence every day by:

• Feeling excited about doing whatever heavy emotional lifting and healing there is to do so she can feel more alive, lighter and can then give from that light.

• Asking herself, ‘how did I contribute to this situation?’ before ever pointing the finger at anyone else.

• Showing up, being there in a big and ongoing way for herself and others. In other words, says no when she needs to, but from a place of love and, you could even say, elegance. She, not only does what she says she will do, but goes above and beyond, not for lack of boundaries, but in genuine expression of the overflow of energy and love she has, as a result of the personal development work she continually says yes to.

• Desiring to be known for solution, not problem, not interested in drama but in creative, loving solution for it…

• Using the things that anger or disappoint her from life or that she sees happening in the world to create even more change within and outside in her community (hello, inspired action, action, ACTION).

• More easily surrendering and letting go of what is causing her unnecessary suffering because –> pain is human and suffering is optional. She can also more easily surrender to being wrong which, psst, we hear is surrender at its best or at its highest vibration…

• Sensing when ego vs. heart or truth is doing the talking/leading…

• Being less afraid to ask others close to her, ‘how can I be better?’ and/or ‘what do you see as the things that are (still) holding me back?’ and, as related, to ask or finally get the support she needs in any new area of self development she may need an observer and mentor in.

• Genuinely believing life is happening for her, not TO her.

In the name of leadership, visibility and the monetary success that comes with reaching goals, focusing on growing the internal brand of our being will only help to grow the external one.

But don’t forget, the visual brand or packaging IS important, let me be clear on that. I mean, how can it not be?

We need the dress to match the song…
But, from my experience, we forget or don’t even know, many times, what the packaging or brand elements even include. We move into the external brand creation thinking it’s only about the photographs or the fancy website, but it’s ALL branding…your mindset being one of the more important predictors of a great, authentic brand (more to come on this and the graphic below in a COMPLIMENTARY PERSONAL BRAND TRAINING I’ll be doing for you soon)…

The more honest you become in your personal internal work, the more honest your brand becomes — a wonderful thing. In fact, it’s what we need.

You.

We call it something new every day…authentic, real, engaging, connection-oriented, but they all have one thing in common: a return to your soul, your truth, or, as shared in the newsletter on Saturday, to your soulution-oriented self that attracts, inspires trust and connects and truly relates with others.

Both your INNER BRAND and OUTER BRAND are and will be part of the energetic expression that will go out into the world to bring back, not just fans, but kindred or kismet clients.

Though the color, photography or “look” of the packaging isn’t technically the most important, it all does, in fact, carry with it a vibrational tone or feeling that, without saying a word, shares with this special and ideal audience who you are, what you stand for and what type of transformation they can expect to receive (the last, by the way, being what you need to make sure that your tagline includes).

Of course, beyond the visual look and feel, we have the words or stories you use to express on Facebook every day, the signature program you choose to run with, the titles and names you give your work, the talks you hopefully decide to put more of yourself into etc. — again, this is all branding and it’s all important…

People may not remember what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel. I know you’ve heard that one before and experienced it, likely, many times…

And that’s just it — traditional branding is important because making others FEEL something (that they are looking to feel or create) connects you to them forever.

And, working on self is important because, well, for the same reason. Because making others FEEL something (that they are looking to feel or create) connects you to them forever.

Let’s work on both and dance about it…

I’ll be sharing more on the COMPLIMENTARY PERSONAL BRAND TRAINING training I’ll be hosting for you creative, multi-passionate and multi-dimensional driven changemakers. Stay tuned…

Until then, enjoy your business, enjoy your life!

p.s. Send us your burning branding or authentic brand-related questions for the complimentary training coming up and I’ll see about adding them to the training, {mwaa}.